Florida 'Pill Mill' Crackdown Sets Off a Rush Into Georgia

TUCKER, Ga.—After his Florida used-car dealership failed two summers ago, Jeffrey Gonzalez decided to switch careers. So he moved to Georgia and opened a clinic prescribing opioid painkillers.

He picked this Atlanta suburb because while Florida law stipulates that only doctors can own such facilities, Georgia imposes no such restrictions. Within a few months, Mr. Gonzalez was open for business. To staff up, he hired two physicians...